If this were a story about migrant workers employed by Google, would you feel differently? I suspect so; our standards for living spaces are not arbitrary. That this man chooses to forgo them despite his salary is certainly his prerogative, but this "hack" drawing admiration points to a central failure of both housing in the bay and the culture at large that values future profits over basic living.

I think if this story were about migrant workers I would feel differently about it because it would be an entirely different story—it would be about people not being paid much and forced to live in a truck versus a story about somebody being paid a lot and living an alternative lifestyle.

I'm perhaps looking at this differently because I am into the financial independence movement[1], and I also quite like tiny houses. I like the idea of saving as much as you can so you don't have to work for the rest of your life, and I also like the idea of reducing your ecological and physical footprint.

So that's how I'm seeing this story. This guy seems like a "mustachian" more than he seems like a guy forced to live in his car. I don't know how much he gets paid, but I'm certain he could afford an apartment—ridiculously expensive though it may be.

I absolutely agree with you that the housing situation in the Bay area is bonkers, though.

[1] See Mr. Money Mustache http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/

I was thinking that: why didn't he buy a Winnebago?

A truck is stealthy. It doesn't necessarily look like anyone is living there, which means you're much less likely to be hassled by the police. Compare carcamper's experiences below.